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🇰🇷 South Korea /Conflict & Security

Netanyahu Orders Partial Removal of Illegal Settlements Under U.S. Pressure as Violence Continues

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly ordered the removal of some unauthorized Israeli outposts in the occupied West Bank after growing international criticism.
  • Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich opposed the move, and the scale of any enforcement remains uncertain because some settlements removed in the past were later rebuilt.
  • Israeli forces also reportedly destroyed 27,000 square meters of Palestinian-owned olive groves near Wadi Dauq, according to Al Jazeera.

Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the removal of some unauthorized settlements in the West Bank, but the step has done little to quiet the dispute. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right member of the government, said he understood that the prime minister had issued the order and that he opposed it.

Ynet reported that about 100 outposts built without Israeli government approval could be targeted. Peace Now, an Israeli organization opposed to settlements, says the West Bank contains 146 settlements tolerated by the government and another 340 unauthorized outposts.

I understand that Netanyahu ordered some settlements to be demolished. I do not agree with this.

· Bezalel SmotrichThe Israeli finance minister publicly opposed the reported order to remove unauthorized outposts.

Under international law, an occupying power’s transfer of its civilians into occupied territory is illegal. Israel has expanded settlements since occupying the West Bank by force in 1967, while Netanyahu’s government has pledged to expand them further ahead of next month’s election.

The reported order came as criticism mounted in the United States and elsewhere. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited the West Bank and warned that “crime is crime and terrorism is terrorism,” adding that those responsible would pay a heavy price. Reuters said the measure followed U.S. pressure to crack down on attacks by settlers against Palestinians.

Crime is crime and terrorism is terrorism.

· Mike HuckabeeThe U.S. ambassador to Israel delivered the warning during a visit to the West Bank.

The prospect of a large-scale withdrawal remains low, the article says. Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that the government had already planned enforcement against some unauthorized outposts from April, leaving it unclear whether Netanyahu’s order will expand the operation. In previous cases, settlements removed in government-led actions were later rebuilt.

Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reported that Israeli forces used bulldozers to destroy 27,000 square meters of Palestinian-owned olive groves in the Wadi Dauq area of the West Bank. The action came before the autumn harvest and affected a major source of income for Palestinians.

Those who commit such acts must know that they will pay a heavy price.

· Mike HuckabeeHuckabee warned those responsible for violence in the West Bank.
About this summary

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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